Horn at Argos game a source of great consternation to TV viewers

So there’s a person at Saturday’s Toronto Argonauts game against the Edmonton Eskimos at BMO Field who is in possession of some kind of brass instrument and they are blowing it incessantly. In-cess-ant-ly.

The noise has caught the attention of the TSN audience and not in a good way.

Will the horn be silenced? Will it be inserted, as some have suggested, into a bodily orifice? The outcome of horn-gate may be of greater interest than the game at this point. It’s certainly more painful.

UPDATE: We have some solid investigative work complete with grainy photos!

They do not care. Section 125 Row 1 I believe. There's 4-5 of them… It's brutal…

Interesting comment from a guy watching a game on TV. Ironically, the LEAFS have the quietest crowds in Toronto a long with the Jays.
If LEAFS/jays are winning, no problem, if not, yes, you could hear a pin drop. Nice try though.

According to BMO Field policy, air horns are not allowed in the stadium yet I am trying to watch the Argos/Eskimos game today and cannot watch it because some imbecile is constantly blowing an air horn!!! PLEASE STOP THIS BLOODY NOISE!

Funny thing is someone was complaining that the game is “unwatchable” do they know that you can still watch the game with the sound turned down???
But I agree that horn needs to be banned. They aren’t allowed at TD Place in Ottawa

I don’t know what is more annoying the horn or ALL THE FLAGS the refs need to backoff, the CFL is becoming unwatchable because of the amount of penalties.
Another 100 yard plus penalty filled game last night in Montreal.

Why do want to put off other people who enjoy football from watching it? You’re watching 10th rate soccer. You could care less about CFL and want it to die because you think it will help that 10th rate soccer league that nobody gives a shit about.

Sadly there is no other place to go.
It wouldn’t be a disaster for the league if Toronto lost their CFL team.
Montreal folded 3 times in the past and Ottawa twice.
Nothing can be done to increase attendance, everything has been tried.
The answer was supposed to be a better smaller stadium but since leaving the dome the attendance has shrunk from 25k their last full season at the RC down to 13k.
Less than 13k tonight there.
How long will MLSE put up with it?

“How long will MLSE put up with it?”. According to MLSE, a long time. They are smart business people and obviously feel this can be turned around long term. They have acknowledged this will take a long time. In the scheme of things at MLSE, Argos losses ($) would be minimal. Don’t you think their money people would deal with this accordingly. Five years from now the Argos will still exist. Five years from now the NFL will still be laughing at Toronto as “fans” will state, “the NFL will be here anytime now”.

I agree, move them out of Toronto. In fact, move the players of all 9 teams to the AAF. Granted the airhorns were a distraction but Canadians are so quick to do nothing but attack the second best football league in the World. Been a fan of the CFL for over 40 years but I have come to the resolution that the biggest problem with the CFL is that it is in Canada.

” but I have come to the resolution that the biggest problem with the CFL is that it is in Canada”. I’ve been both a CFL and NFL fan for the same amount of time. I honestly mean this, I don’t think I’ve ever read a statement that describes the situation better. You describe it perfectly. Sometimes it just takes a couple of sentences to summarize an issue. Well done, very well done. Toronto ( of which I’m a fan) so desperately requires American approval, it is pathetic.
With your permission, I’m going to have to use your quote.

Their home opener actually wasn’t bad. I think there was over 20,000 in there. But today – nice an sunny out… place should be packed. Whoever cracks their attendance problem will the marketer of the century.

Someone should tell the Argo NOTS that football games are more then ONE (1) quarter lol. Or is it that the Eskimos have figured out their Pop-gun offence in the first FIVE (5) minutes hahahahahaha.
Never laughed so hard at that CIS Offence.

Who cares about the horns. Don’t give any excuses to the EE fans. They will blame the horns on their loss. What a sad sac of a game 20-17. Couple of bottom feeders. The EE are so bad that Toronto gets their 1st victory against them. Typically Reilly playing ping pong between the 20’s. This EE team isn’t going anywhere except further in the basement.

Regardless of result. Commish should deal with this. No team should have to put up with this constant harrassment. BMO and Argos let it continue. That behavior is “offside” and should be corrected before next game! Bush league. It’s like kids baseball, yelling “swing batter batter swing”. Let’s get this crap fixed!

Kind of like the Spaz with the drum at BC Place!
Actually had the volume off for the entire game. Same with the mic’d up game. Why would anyone want to listen to the QB’s audibles?
Did not miss the 1/2 time circus either!
TSN needs some new ideas.

I was at the game too, the guy was in the first row and we were up high near the press box. We couldn’t hear him.
With the lid at BMO the crowd does sound bigger and they do pipe in crowd noise over the speakers which also makes it seem like the crowd is bigger.
We heard the crowd noise and looked around but couldn’t see many fans cheering, obviously piped in crowd noise.

I was sitting 10 yards away from the 4 with the horns- who were in the front row, directly behind the Argo bench. Everybody found it annoying, fans, game day staff, the police nearby and I’m sure the Argos too. I’m annoyed the BMO Field staff didn’t do something about it when it’s clearly against the rules.

Yes it would be great if the stadium was full and there was lots of noise, but these horns are going to drive people away from the game.

So the stadium management allow fans to break the rules ? I have not been to the new Argo stadium, or the one in Regina. But, I’ve been in every other CFL stadium. I’ve also been in many US stadiums. But, I’ve never experienced such BS as that.

Unless the rule has changed. That is an offence that can be penalized. The home team is accountable for the actions of the fans in the stadium. So, why don’t the zebras do their job ? And where was stadium security ?

Is there anybody from ON here ? I’ve never been in a city where air horn usage, other than in an emergency is legal. And by that I mean the actual law ( cops ). Not stadium management. Is it like that in ON ?

Keep it up CFL. I’m one step closer to walking away for good. It’s almost like this league is daring ppl to walk away.

Awesome CFL, awesome to the zebras, too. You continue to lose fans every single day.

But you couldn’t hear the horn guy in the stadium. I doubt the players heard him either.
The only people complaining were the people watching and listening on TV.
TSN had a microphone in the crowd to make it sound like the crowd was bigger, and generate some excitement for their CFL broadcast. All they had to do was filter out the crowd noise and there would have been no problem.

If it is illegal to have air horns in the stadium what does that say about security in Toronto?
And arra51 shows the attitude that makes people hate Toronto. He admits to blowing an illegal air horn at a game and then swearing at visiting fans when asked to stop.

I remember the Riders being penalized because the Riders pep band sitting in the north end zone at Taylor Field with the ball being near mid field played a couple of seconds after play had been blown in.
With eastern stadiums constructed such that both teams are on the same sideline if these horn players are behind the Argos bench they also aren’t far from the visiting team’s bench.
I distinctly remember hearing an announcement at Mosaic Stadium Thursday night that air horns are illegal and that the Riders could be penalized if they are used.

been hearing that for so many years yet here we are. I never understand why CFL haters need to follow a CFL site. Just to troll? I don’t troll NFL or TFC sites. I so much more better things to do in my life. If you truly hate it, ignore it.

They hope if the CFL dies soccer will miraculously take over. They just ignore the fact that the number of followers of MLS is equal to the number of people at the stadium. Good for attendance, not so good for everything else.

So 1 person with an air horn bothers so many people but nobody ever complains about the number of air horns in Montreal? I too hate the air horn and would gladly shove it up the perpetrator’s ass.
As for the ‘quiet’ crowd at BMO yesterday, all I can say is that I was at the game at it was pretty loud.
As for the crowd, there was Blue Jay game and a Wolfpack rugby game going on in basically the same area. In other words, there is lots going on in Toronto and too many people have an NFL fetish that won’t allow them to see that the CFL is exciting in its own right.

For all the @TorontoArgos fans that came to the game last night. I want to give you all a special S/0 you guys had the stadium rocking for 60 min straight weather it was your vocals, Bells or horns, We EXTREMELY appreciate you all. You guys truly have a GREAT impact on our games!

TFC fans, Stop trolling. No mics, no fake crowd noise, just 12000 fans making huge noise. We may be small but we bring it and we do it without being drunk out of our minds and without “FLAIRS,breaking seats and setting the place on fire”. We actually watch the game and not just have a drunken party. Thus, the terrible tv rating for TFC. No party on TV. For the so called CFL fans complaining about noise and horns. you have no right to complain. Get off your ass and attend the game then you can complain. But to who? Everyone there is screaming and cheering and having fun. Sorry, if you couldn’t hear “ROD BLACK” from your couch.

I sent an email to BMO Field asking them to enforce their own rules regarding air horns, and emails to both TSN and the CFL asking them to put pressure on BMO Field staff to enforce their own rules, since these clowns blowing air horns made the game unwatchable (as other people above, I too ended up watching the game on mute). I encourage everyone else who found the air horns annoying or game-ruining to contact these three organisations and register your complaints as well. The more people that complain to all three of these organisations, the more likely it is that something will actually be done about it.

That horn was at Mosaic last year and we sat 4 seats away. Incredibly loud, annoying and I was surprised someone didn’t take it away. But as the Riders took the lead and the game over, he went silent. Good thing, because I could tell he was going to answer for it if it continued.

All those complaining about the noise from the horn at the Argo game. I completely understand. I am with you 100%, I know what it is like to be falling asleep to the melotone voice of Rod Black only to be disturbed or awoken by a loud noise at a football game. I will be complaining and asking if all noise can be stopped at the games like in tennis. I think it is the right thing to do. Tell them you won’t attend another game until they do. Oh, I forgot, you never do anyways

What a bunch of complainers.
I don’t like the “watch me” noise either.
But I’d like to see more focus on support for the Argos and the cfl.
Ignoring NFL marketing and hype we have a more exciting game.

The Argos came up big when they had to and stayed close enough to take advantage when they got it together. That’s what I liked.
Horns and slippery end zone distractions weren’t for me.
I was too busy cheering.

Oh man, do I agree about the consternation.
I like horns and cowbells too… but blowing that horn EVERY SINGLE PLAY OF THE OPPOSITION???!!!
C’mon!!!
I’d like to stick that horn where the sun don’t even thinks of shining!!